South Carolina Shares Voter Rolls With U.S. Department of Justice

The South Carolina State Election Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Justice on April 28, 2026, to share state voter registration lists. The agreement, reached after nearly a year of negotiations, allows federal officials to review data to identify non-citizens, convicted felons, deceased individuals, and people registered in multiple states.

To protect privacy, the commission is using a hashing process for Social Security numbers, creating digital fingerprints that allow the Department of Justice to verify matches without seeing the original numbers. The commission will provide names, addresses, and dates of birth, with data sharing scheduled to begin within five days of the signing. The agreement is expected to last 13 to 14 months.

Executive Director Conway Belangia stated that the state retains final authority over voter removals and that any individuals flagged by the federal review will be notified and given the opportunity to appeal. While South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and the state Republican Party praised the move as a necessary step for election integrity, the League of Women Voters of South Carolina and some citizens raised concerns regarding privacy and federal overreach.